On The Hunt
by Sketcher1994
Summary: Gajeel slipped into an alleyway and glanced back over his shoulder as he pulled the collar of his jacket up around his neck. He watched the skinny guy scanning the crowd for him. Gajeel glanced down at the dead-end and groaned. He'd lived for over six hundred years without getting caught once and he was about to be cornered by a skinny guy. Requested by ro-blaze.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Fairy Tait belongs to Hiro Mashima!**

 **Hey! This a 'medium length' fic for you! :) I still have a few chapters to write near the end, but it's a Gajevy request from _ro-blaze_! I've been playing with posting this first chapter for a while ** (I think I mentioned posting it about four/five months ago, but I think something came up? Sorry!) **, but here it finally is! Please enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Where the hell did that freak just come from?! He'd just been minding his own damn business! Gajeel slipped into an alleyway and glanced back over his shoulder as he pulled the collar of his leather jacket up around his neck. He watched the skinny guy scanning the crowd for him. The bastard may be tall, but there was no way he'd be worth draining. He'd only just had a drink a couple of nights ago anyway. The tall Hunter started shifting through the crowd at a surprising pace in Gajeel's direction. Gajeel silently cursed as he realised the Hunter must have worked out where he'd gone.

He glanced down at the dead-end and groaned. It was just his luck. He'd lived for over six hundred fucking years without getting caught once and he was about to be cornered by a skinny guy. He hated wasting a good meal but he didn't drink from Hunters, or guys for that matter. It wasn't that they tasted all _that_ different; it was just easier getting women back to his. Unless he found a place with some nice guys that looked after themselves and were into 'guys like him', he had to actually expend some energy to persuade them back. Willing victims always tasted better.

He slid his sunglasses back up from their resting place on the bottom stud that pierced through the bridge of his nose and slipped back into the crowd. He felt the Hunter's eyes on him instantly. If he ever found the bitch that bit him and didn't finish the job, he'd fucking rip her damn head off! He was too fucking tall for this! He smirked as he reached his planned destination and stepped in the door. He swiped his card and waltzed in as if nothing was wrong. He sauntered over to the furthest long, pine table and threw his jacket over the seat that faced the door. If the freak came in, he'd see him and the freak wouldn't even know it was him. He was _pretty_ sure of that last part anyway.

He wandered into the aisle he had planned to investigate today. Back to his usual routine and hopefully that damn Hunter would have left when he finished. How many Hunters bothered with library cards? He'd been yet to meet one after six hundred and nine years. Before that, he hadn't even known they'd existed. He sighed as he looked at the section titled 'Vampires'. Maybe he'd actually find something that wasn't _all_ fiction today? So far the only thing he'd found in these books that was actually true was the need to drink blood. They'd fucked up the quantity. Every single one.

"Can I help you?" A female voice chimed from behind him.

"No, I'm ju-" He paused as he blinked a few times to check what he was looking at.

Standing in front of him was a child. A short, almost flat-chest girl with short-ish blue waves. Her smile was surprisingly friendly considering the obvious size difference, but her smile wasn't the only thing shining in those large, hazel eyes. Suspicion. Was she a Hunter? She couldn't be; she's a child...! And female! He hadn't ever heard of any damn female Hunters! He paused in his thoughts as something occurred to him. He silently cursed as he tried to remember when the equal rights thing had passed. It felt like yesterday to him, but something told him that it had been during the last hundred years. What should he do if she was? What would _she_ do if she was? He'd normally just get the fuck out of there before they started throwing shit at him, but this was a library...? Hunte-

"Are you ok?" The girl frowned, tilting her head slightly in concern, the suspicion still there in her hazel eyes.

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting a kid to be working in the library." He sneered, turning back to the shelf.

He held back the grunt of pain as a foot made contact with the back of his knee. He steadied himself and turned to glare down at her. She was glaring back. She was standing less than a meter away from him in her short, black pencil skirt and long sleeved black blazer, glaring at him. She was actually pretty cute for a pain in the ass kid.

"What the fuck did ya do that for? I'm pretty sure ya ain't supposed to assault yer patrons." He grunted as he tried to burn a hole through her through his sunglasses.

"You're not supposed to insult staff either." She returned, apparently not even remotely intimidated. "Now, what can I help you with?"

"Nothing." He sighed, turning back to the shelf. Why was the damn midget being so persistent?!

"Then perhaps you should leave?" She replied airily.

"And why's that?" He snorted, skimming his finger along the spines of the books as he searched for one he hadn't read.

"You're rude and look like you're up to no good." She shrugged, making him look back over at her.

"I look like I'm up to no good?" He frowned, narrowing his eyes at her. What exactly did that mean? Maybe this kid _could_ actually help him? "What makes ya say that?"

"You're wearing sunglasses inside," she mused, watching him more carefully than he liked, "and you're wearing baggy trousers. I can come up with two possible answers and neither are good."

"And what would they be?" He snorted, rolling his eyes at her. If he found out what draws a Hunter to the conclusion he's a bloodsucking Vampire, maybe he could make himself _not_ look like a Vampire. Hell, that might just save him having to keep up with the fucking changing shit! Although, this current clothes that he had gotten ten years ago had been pretty good at making him look like a human 'with no sense of anything' _._ He'd managed to make himself look like a thug and that kept most humans away from him – always a good thing for a Vampire.

"Well, either you're planning to steal a couple of books," she began, narrowing her eyes at him as if she could see his eyes through his glasses. He hoped not, "or you're a Vampire."

"A Vampire?! How the fuck did ya come up with that?!" He exclaimed, trying to sound angry. "Do I look like I have fucking giant fangs?!" He added quickly, opening his mouth to show her his teeth as he finished.

"Vampires have retractable teeth." She deadpanned, watching him closely, daring him to argue.

"Huh?" He frowned, trying to sound confused by her response.

"Oh!" She gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth. "I am so sorry! You're just one of those guys into mythical creatures like Vampires, aren't you?! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you! Oh my god...that's why you're wearing the sunglasses...you're embarrassed about it and didn't want to be recognised...sorry..."

"It's alright, Shortie." He sighed, pretending to have been caught. "Since ya've figured me out, can ya recommend any of these?"

"Well...I could- No, I shouldn't...but I did just embarrass you...and accuse you of being a Vampire...Sorry about that..." She mumbled, looking away bashfully.

"Look, it's fine." He grunted, his eyes running over the people in the library now staring at them. Including the Hunter from the street. "So, can ya?"

"Well, these...If you're looking for things a little less...'theoretical', there is a book I can recommend...but it's not here on the shelf." She replied quietly, glancing around her as the gazes melted away. "I, em, just give me a minute." She frowned, suddenly walking away.

Gajeel turned back to the shelf and grabbed a random book on Vampires and one on Werewolves; nothing wrong with making himself more convincing. She'd actually come up with a pretty good cover story for him. He glanced over at her and saw her talking to the tall, skinny Hunter that had been following him in the street. He grabbed a random seat, staying clear of his leather jacket. The idiot hadn't even seemed to have noticed him! Looked like the old short hair to long hair trick worked on him. He needed to get it cut again though; it was getting too close to the bottom of his jacket. The two of them seemed pretty friendly...Two Hunters that knew each other...? Or was it just him and she's his girlfriend that's learned shit from him?

"Hey." A male voice stated over his shoulder as he turned back to his books. The freak was too fucking fast. If he's this fast when he's walking, how the fuck was Gajeel going to fucking out run him?

"Hey." He grunted back, reading the page he knew every damn word of. Why did Vampires have such brilliant memories that they only needed to read things once? He still remembered every gory detail of every war he'd found himself enlisted into. They were far from his favourite memories.

"So, Levy says you just came in a few minutes ago? You have an interesting book there?" The Hunter began too calmly.

"Yeah...I did...Ya got a problem with that...?" He hummed, pretending to be more interested in his book than not getting his head chopped off.

"Interested in Vampires? It's not as romantic a notion as you read in books. They don't woo women and take them as their eternal brides, making love to them every night." The Hunter returned, leaning over his shoulder slightly so that his shadow fell on the book.

"Huh...That kind of sounds fun...How'd ya become an eternal bride...? Does it work on guys...? A hot female vampire fucking me every night for eternity sounds better than ecstasy..." He replied almost absently.

"What they really do is hypnotise poor, unsuspecting women, take them back to some damp house, and rape them while draining them of all their blood." The Hunter stated almost as absently. "Sound familiar?"

"Did ya get that from some fucked up film? If ya're trying to recommend the second one, ya need to get yer fucking head checked." He glared as he turned around in his seat. "I wouldn't mind the title of the first though."

"Jet, look, just stop this...He's just some random guy who's interested in that stuff..." 'Levy' mumbled quietly from behind 'Jet'. If Gajeel hadn't been a Vampire, he wouldn't have heard her; he decided to pretend he hadn't.

He turned back to his book and began 'reading' again. He felt the Hunter shift behind him. What was he going to do? Surely the guy wouldn't try to kill him in the middle of the library? 'Jet' had no evidence what-so-fucking-ever! Gajeel had hidden his eyes and his teeth were drawn back in! Those were the only giveaways, right? He _had_ been a little more tanned when he'd been 'alive', but there was no way this 'Jet' would know that...was there? Had this guy seen old photos of him? Did this guy know that he'd been around for centuries from seeing him in old photos? It was possible...It wasn't as if he had a recent birth certificate, but there _were_ photos of him from both world wars in the town hall...? If anyone thought he looked familiar, he'd always just tell them that his father had come from this area – or his _grandfather_ depending on who was asking.

No-one was old enough to have known his 'great grandfather'. Yet.

"How old are you?" Jet demanded quietly from slightly further away.

"Twenty-two. Why?" Gajeel grunted, turning the page of his book.

"I meant your real age." Jet growled as he shifted again. Was a silver knife about to slit his neck?

"Twenty-fucking-two." Gajeel snarled back, making sure not to let his fangs slip out. If he snarled with no fangs, this freak might just decide he really wasn't a Vampire. What was up with these people? Was it really so damn obvious that he was a fucking Vampire?!

"Jet, just drop it...I _told_ you, he's _not_ one of them! You normally trust me! What's so suspicious about this guy?" Levy huffed quietly from behind Jet.

"So, how old are ya?! Ya clearly deserve to be in a mental hospital! Both of ya! Ya do realise Vampires don't _actually_ exist, right? I just find this shit interesting, but the two of ya have clearly lost yerselves in it." Gajeel snapped, trying to sound angry and offended by them.

"Look, Sir, I'm _really_ sorry about my friend's behaviour. He's a Detective of sorts...There's rumours about a 'real Vampire' being in the area, so he wants to be the one who catches it..." Levy explained sheepishly.

"And ya think it's me?" Gajeel grunted, staring back at them in disbelief.

Had it really been that obvious that he'd returned? He wasn't the only vampire in the area; that much he knew. No-one missed the women he drained. He'd follow them for a week or two to make sure that they were 'isolated' before risking approaching them. If they spotted him following them, he'd back off completely and look for someone else. He didn't exactly need to feed often, even with his large size.

Other Vampires were less careful though.

"Fine." Jet frowned before finally turning away.

Gajeel watched as he hugged the girl and started to walk towards the exit door. Jet glanced back over his shoulder at him before slipping out into the street. A Hunter with a library card. Gajeel couldn't deny that it had to happen sometime. He needed to find a new library. He always came to this one when he was in Magnolia though? Maybe he should sell his place in Magnolia? He had three places around Fiore, two in Bosco, and one in Seven. Fiore was his home, so he spent thirty years of his sixty year rotation in it – who wouldn't? People were clearly starting to get suspicious though...

"Asshole." Gajeel muttered as he got up with his books.

"Hey...I'm really sorry about my friend..." Levy mumbled awkwardly, looking down at her feet.

"I've dealt with worse." Gajeel grunted as he walked past her to put the books away. "If ya're really sorry, ya can show me that book."

"Sure." She nodded as she followed after him.

Gajeel placed the books back where he had gotten them and turned around to find Levy less than a foot away from him. He would have jumped if it hadn't been for his nose telling him that she was there. He stared silently at her as she smiled friendlily up at him. Gajeel folded his arms in front of his chest, knowing it would instantly make him look impatient. The girl took the hint and suddenly walked off at a surprising speed that made Gajeel wonder if she'd be a bigger problem than the guy.

"Where are ya taking me?" He frowned as they walked through a set of previously locked doors into a dark corridor at the back of the library.

"Into the 'classified' section." Levy replied in an almost sing-song tone. "The book is there, but before I let you see it, you'll have to tell me _why_ you want to." She finished, spinning around to look up at him with narrowed hazel eyes as they stopped outside a padlocked door.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. _(I do not own Cluedo either!)_**

 **Hello again! Hope you're enjoying this? :) Did anyone see the random sketch I did for this the other day? It's not the cover pic, don't worry! I try not to choose almost irrelevant sketches for that job ;P I just decided to sketch two characters so that I had a visual of them for later, since we don't actually have anything canon for them like that :P Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

"Where are ya taking me?" He frowned as they walked through a set of previously locked doors into a dark corridor at the back of the library.

"Into the 'classified' section." Levy replied in an almost sing-song tone. "The book is there, but before I let you see it, you'll have to tell me _why_ you want to." She finished, spinning around to look up at him with narrowed hazel eyes as they stopped outside a padlocked door.

He stared back down at her, unsure of what to say. Like Hell he was going to start pouring his heart out to some little kid! Although he did need to tell her something believable. He also needed to make sure she didn't realise he was a fucking Vampire. The second she realised, she'd call her boyfriend back and his life would become a game of Cluedo. Who did he think murdered the Hunter in the back corridor of the library? If it was up to him, the culprit would not be him.

"Well?" She pressed, folding her arms in front of her small chest.

"I need to find out some real shit on Vampires, ok?" He returned, pulling himself up to his full, intimidating height. She didn't even flinch.

"What's your problem with Vampires?" She continued, her cold glare not leaving his. The more he stood under her gaze, the more he was sure she could see through the lenses of his sunglasses.

"I ain't telling ya shit, so just show me the book already." Gajeel growled down at her as he leaned forward slightly to tower over her.

"You're not getting through this door until you tell me why you even know Vampires exist." She hummed, her expression suddenly light and thoughtful. She was mocking him. Some damn girl was mocking _him_! A six foot tall Vampire!

"Fine." He grunted, narrowing his eyes at her. If she really could see them, maybe she'd regret trying to annoy him. "I took pity on some girl, she turned out to be a Vampire, and she murdered my entire family." He deadpanned, still glaring pointedly at her. He wasn't lying, but she didn't need to know the whole truth.

"Ok." She shrugged and turned her back on him to unlock the door.

He could just kill her and swipe the book, but then he'd be back at square one; on the run from some freakish Hunter. Only the freakish Hunter would have a reason more than just him being a Vampire to want him dead. He couldn't kill this girl, not when he already knew the pain of losing the woman he loved. He wasn't ever going to be like that heartless bitch that took everything from him! He was going to catch up to her eventually and she would pay for what she did to him.

"Are you coming in or not?" The girl's voice cut in.

"Yeah." He mumbled back as he shuffled in through the door.

He blinked. The room was about four meters by four meters and had a single metal bookstand in the middle of it. The walls were made of thick, lifeless, grey concrete and completely bare. There wasn't even a single window. Why the Hell did a library have a room like this? What was so special about this book that it was locked away in such a- He frowned as he felt the air around him. The girl had shut the door behind him, but the room wasn't cold and damp like he expected. He glanced over his shoulder at her where she stood leaning against the heavy metal door. He sucked in a quick breath as he recognised the metal of the door.

Silver.

"That's a lot of silver." He nodded as he stepped towards the book and away from the door.

"Well, it does have to be Vampire-proof." She mused, watching him as he got closer to the book stand. He was literally trapped in here until she let him out.

He studied the cover of the book bound in worn, maroon leather. It was adorned by intricate metalwork that covered almost the entire cover like a curtain of ivy. His legs felt increasingly numb as he stood staring at the book, sure he would be unable to open it. He frowned down at his legs as they began feeling as if they did not belong to him. He glanced over at the blue haired girl standing smiling knowingly at him.

"What did ya do to me?" Gajeel growled, suddenly aware that he was unable to step towards her.

"Tell me why you really want to find out what's in that book and I'll tell you what's wrong with you." She smirked, pushing herself back off of the door.

"I already told ya." He hissed back, catching his breath as his lungs began to burn. "What the fuck did ya do to me?" He snarled, clutching his chest.

"All I did was open the door." The blunette shrugged, smiling coyly back up at him. "You chose to walk into the room and _no-one_ forced you to walk up to a suspicious-looking metal bookstand."

"That's seriously fucking pure silver to make my legs useless just by standing near it." He grumbled, trying not to let the Huntress know he was impressed. "Silver dust in the ventilation system?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded as she began to rock back and forth on her feet, "that's exactly why your lungs are burning. I will admit that I had to shut the door for that to work, so I am partially to blame for your lungs. However, you were the one who decided to lie about being a Vampire."

"If ya knew, why'd ya lie to yer friend?" Gajeel snorted as he attempted to lower himself to the floor without touching the bookstand.

"Oh, he knows you're a Vampire. I was just trying to make sure no-one made a scene in the library." She smiled as she stepped forward to help him down. "It doesn't matter how good a Vampire is at pretending to be human, he can tell. Although, you couldn't have made yourself stand out anymore than you do."

"How come?" He frowned, dragging himself away from the stand with his hands now that he was on the floor. If he could get far enough away from it, his legs would start working again, right?

"You're wearing red-tinted sunglasses inside." She sighed, shaking her head at him. "Even if you had just been trying to hide who you were, you won't have been trying so hard to only let me see your eyes through your glasses. The red tint is just cliché." She continued with an obvious eye roll. "And the stand will still affect you when you're at the edges of the room."

"That explains the size of the room, but I'll start to get feeling back in my legs if I'm further away." He smirked, his face splitting into a grin at the disappointment on the midget's face: he was right.

"You will still have to tell me the truth to get out of here." She chimed, snatching at her own power and dangling it in front of him.

"Where's the 'alive'?" He spat, running his eyes over her for her many weapons.

He wasn't making it out of this room while he was still 'living' – he wasn't an idiot. She would find out what she wanted and slit his throat with a silver knife. She seemed like a throat slitter. She had purposely reduced him to a height so much shorter than hers, just so that she could pull his head back to make him look up into her eyes as she slit his throat. Yip, she was definitely a throat slitter. She likely relied on luring idiots into traps like this, rather than relying on weapons or hand-to-hand combat.

"Vampires are walking corpses." She bit back.

"Yeah, well some of us didn't choose to be!" He snarled, choking as his lungs refilled with another large dose of silver dust.

He pressed his lips together, attempting to slow the rate of scorching to the inside of his lungs. He needed to get out of here soon. He glanced over at the silent Huntress. Her head was bent low, but Gajeel could smell salt in the silver-poisoned air. He didn't seem to sweat since he turned, so it couldn't be his reaction to his 'life or death' situation. It had to be her. Was she crying? She couldn't be! She had captured him and held his life in her hands.

"Why didn't you just kill yourself then?" Her weak mumble echoed across to him.

"Because I wanted revenge. I can't do that if I'm dead." Gajeel mused, watching as she continued to stare down at the floor behind her curtain of blue waves. "I didn't know she was a Vampire when I asked her if she was ok...I invited her into my parents' home. I was putting my little sister to bed when I heard my fiancée scream. I told my sister to hide and not to come out until it was safe. By the time I got downstairs, everyone was dead and the woman was just standing in the middle of the room, covered my family's blood."

"What happened to you and your sister?" Her hoarse whisper asked as she continued to stare at the concrete floor by her feet.

"Ya know what happened to me." He grunted, watching her for some sort of movement. Why wasn't he dead yet? "Shouldn't it be me gettin' teary over this?" He sneered, instantly regretting it.

Her silver blade was a single millimetre from his throat. He could feel it burning his skin, but he dared not move. If this was the end, he'd just have to hope that bitch managed to get the slow, painful ending he wanted for her. He closed his eyes as he waited for the tiny blade to pierce his skin and let his plum coloured blood seep out. This was certainly a shitty way to die, but he could barely move his body, never mind defend himself. The knife moved from his throat as a gentle breeze floated into the room. He opened his eyes to see her looming over him, her knife once again hidden.

"You're an idiot." She sighed, turning her back on him to walk out of the small room. "21 Trawler Court, 10pm; don't be late."

He stared dumbstruck at the open door.

* * *

Gajeel casually turned left round the corner of a block of flats into the dark backstreets of Magnolia, escaping the moonlight and electric lamps lighting the larger streets of the town. Back here, the darkness had become impenetrable as the buildings had grown over the centuries and the lamps repeatedly smashed by those of the night. The expected graffiti was almost completely absent, except for the occasional tag from the younger Vampires trying to make the place seem a little less suspicious to Hunters. It did draw a police officer every now and then.

He checked his watch and frowned at the time, wondering if the two youths could really get him what he wanted before he had to meet with the Huntress. He had two hours to get his stuff and grab a train to Hargeon. He wasn't sure why it had been an address in Hargeon, but then again, why the Hell had a Huntress told him to meet her somewhere anyway? She could have just killed him where he sat helpless against the fucking wall! Maybe it was for ease of body disposal? It wasn't as if the bursting into dust was true.

"Name?"

Gajeel glared at the blonde youth suddenly directly in front of him. He hadn't bothered coming to this place in the last three hundred years but he was pretty damn sure that every Vampire in Fiore knew him by reputation. The blue-eyed blonde continued his challenging stare and Gajeel clenched his fist, ready to plant it in the brat's smug pale face. Gajeel frowned, tilting his head slightly as he realised what he was seeing. The brat's round pupils suddenly became slits as his canines grew.

"The contacts work then?" Gajeel grunted, refusing to show the fact that he was impressed.

"Don't make me ask again." The blonde returned, now openly threatening Gajeel who stood at least a head taller.

"He's Kurogane." A voice answered for him and Gajeel nodded to the black haired youth forming in the shadows. "His human name is 'Gajeel Redfox'."

"So this is 'Kurogane'." The blonde smirked, looking him up and down. "Thought he'd be a little more intimidating."

"Want me to put my fist through yer face?" Gajeel snorted. The brat really thought he could take him? His size made walking around humans almost impossible to do without standing out, but it certainly played to his advantage against other Vampires.

"Why are you here?" The black-haired youth questioned, his blood red, contactless eyes glaring up at him.

"For the things the blonde brat has – need some contacts." Gajeel explained, ignoring the unspoken challenge. "Now."

"How you planning to pay?" The blonde demanded, his lean, muscular arms folding across his chest.

"Blood of a Vampress good?" Gajeel smirked down at the blonde.

"Where you gonna get that then?" The blonde sneered, showing his overly white fangs. "I haven't seen one of those things in years!"

"Only years? Ya ain't been changed long, have ya?" Gajeel grinned sadistically, running his tongue over his much longer fangs. "I'm going after the bitch that got me and I've even managed to drag in a little Huntress-help to get her."

"Huntress? They don't exist, 'Kurogane'. If they did, we'd know." The blonde returned, his tone drenched in mocking.

"I think you'll find they do." An irritatingly familiar voice stated. "I know two and a particularly dangerous Vampress too."

"Salamander, ya're back in town?" Gajeel sighed, turning towards the younger Vampire and his goofy smile. "It's not ya screwing things up, is it?"

"Nope, just back from Hargeon with some girl who wants to be a Huntress. I let her think I thought she was crazy, but not sure how well she'll do as a Huntress when she's asking a Vampire for directions to the _secret_ Hunter Academy." He mused, stretching his arms. "Do I look like a Hunter?"

"A Vampire who looks like a Hunter? You're crazier than him!" The blonde jeered.

Gajeel sneered as the blonde suddenly found himself pinned flat on the tarmac, the pink-haired new comer's hand around his throat as perfectly sharp claws threatened to break the skin. Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow at the black haired youth, silently asking him if he wanted the same treatment. The boy just looked away, a bitter glint in his blood-thirsty eyes. Gajeel crouched down next to the blonde where he was pinned and grinned down at the shocked boy.

"As I was saying, I need contacts and ya two brats are too fresh to put up a real fight." He smirked, tilting the blonde's chin upwards with the sharp claw of his index finger.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!**

 **Hey! Random update for you, but I've decided this story is gonna be posted later in the day anyway! :P I've been ill for a couple of days, but I'm 'fine' today, so I've been writing this evening (a later chapter, not this one) and decided I'd update.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Gajeel wandered along Trawler Court, blinking repeatedly. If these things didn't make him seem more human, he had no idea what would – he couldn't remember the last time he'd involuntarily blinked. He passed number twenty-one with a quick glance in the dimly lit window before moving onto number twenty-three, where he pretended he'd accidentally walked passed his destination. He hadn't seen anything in the window, so maybe the Huntress had given him a false appointment? A snort of laughter escaped him at the thought of a Vampire having an appointment with a Huntress. He tensed as something moved inside the house. He drew his claws as he knocked on the door, wary of what was inside.

Something began shifting inside the house once more, soundlessly moving in his direction. A perfectly normal reaction to someone knocking on the door; he did the same thing. Another body came to life inside the house and began towards the door. Shit, if this really was where he was meeting the Huntress, she'd brought a couple of friends. A third body began moving, faster than the previous two, towards the door. It stopped, inches from the other side of the cheap, painted wood. The first two came together a little behind it, just as the door handle began to turn.

"Can I help you?" The broad, muscular man asked as he opened the door. He was the same head-shorter-than-him as every other human or Vampire in this damn country, but his skin was as pale as the moon.

"I was looking for a midget, must have gotten the wrong address." Gajeel grunted, leaving his claws drawn.

"A midget?" The man frowned, looking at something behind Gajeel. "Come in."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the man and he opened the door further, gesturing to Gajeel to come in. He watched the man carefully as he stepped in through the door, finding the other two pale-skinned men as soon as he had passed the first. They stood a little taller than the first, but their limbs were no more than sticks. Their sickly skin clung to their skeletons, the ridges casting eerie shadows. Their eyes glowed red as they cowered away from him. He glanced back at the first man and he shook his head before gesturing to a seat at the round kitchen table.

"Silver-poisoning is cruel – our brothers were the same size as me only a few days ago, now they cower in fear." The man explained, sitting down opposite Gajeel. "A 'midget' dosed them with a dart of some sort. Now they fear even their own contacts, so I have to hide them inside...I can't bring back enough food for the three of us on my own, not subtly anyway. Three mouths to feed and I'm having to half-drain the girls before I can let them feed or I'll become too weak to get food."

"Ya could just cut them loose?" Gajeel shrugged, watching as the two men scrambled away in terror at the sound of his rough voice.

"You would have me cut our brothers loose because of something so trivial?" The muscular man mused, an almost sad glint in his eyes as he watched the other two. "They are like small puppies; curious about the world, but terrified to leave my side."

"They'd follow." Gajeel sighed, shaking his head. "This is why I keep to myself."

"Three men out on a night out looks less suspicious than a lone man sitting in the corner." The man returned, clearly not accepting Gajeel's idea as a good one. "Why were you looking for a midget anyway?"

"I was getting followed by some tall Hunter earlier, a real quick one, and this cute midget intervened." He answered, giving the other guy a smug look. "I figured I'd take the opportunity she was offering and come here like a good boy."

"My friend, we need to get out of here now – that wasn't an opportunity to get laid, that was a damn trap!" The man exclaimed, pushing back his chair just as the front door swung open with a bang.

"Shadow Gear, time to hunt!" The girl chimed as two men stepped into the room, allowing her to be seen as she followed them in.

The ginger haired man was over by the two silver-poisoned Vampires in a second, removing their heads in the blink of an eye with a strange sword with two points, one blade curving like a sickle from the side of the straight blade. He turned to face Gajeel and the first Vampire while the second tall man of 'Shadow Gear' stood on the other side of them, opposite Jet. Levy shut the door behind her, pulling a strange bamboo-looking pipe out of her pocket. The Vampire took an involuntary step back from the girl, his face taut with fear.

"Thanks for being the distraction, Mr 'a Vampress killed my family'." Levy winked as she brought the pipe up to her lips. The Vampire began to run toward the other doorway. He slumped to the floor as a cobalt feathered dart appeared below his left shoulder blade. "The big guy would have noticed us coming without you sitting talking to him." Gajeel watched as the other tall Hunter walked up to the convulsing Vampire with a sword identical to Jet's. "Can I ask what you were talking about?"

"What the fuck is going on?" Gajeel grunted, his jaw tense as the other Vampire's head was relieved of its body.

"You just helped us hunt a nest." Levy explained, taking the seat opposite him where the other Vampire had just sat. "Nice contacts and I do get the irony."

"Irony?" He frowned, not sure which Hunter he should be watching. He reckoned he could take them, but one wrong move and he would be one very dead Vampire.

"Silver-coloured contacts. They do actually suit you and your 'black-and-white' style." She smiled, reloading the pipe with another strange dart. "I assume the studs covering your face and forearms aren't real silver."

"Polished iron." He nodded, watching Jet as he openly glared at him while cleaning the plum-coloured blood from his sword. "What's with the weird swords?"

"Try anything and you'll find out." Levy chirped, her tone contradicting the seriousness of her threat.

"Not that stupid." He glared, the growl in his voice making her flinch slightly. "How many Huntresses are there? Can't imagine girls are particularly helpful in a fight."

"Have you heard of Titania?" Levy hummed as she made her pipe vanish. He'd have to figure out where she was hiding it later or she could be a real pain in the ass.

"Titania...?" He echoed, searching his long memory. "She's...She's the legendary Huntress that's trapped in a never-ending fight with the _also legendary_ Vampress, Mira-Jane. What's with the old wives' tales all of a sudden?" He snorted, sitting back in his chair as overly casually as he could.

"Titania's very real and so is Mira-Jane." Levy returned, pursing her lips.

"Oh really? What's Mira-Jane's Vampire name?" Gajeel smirked, outwardly ignoring the dark haired Hunter moving closer to him.

"Why would we know that?" Jet demanded, taking a step towards them.

"Fine, what's Titania's 'human name'?" Gajeel countered, wondering just how far he could push them.

"Er-"

"Jet." Levy interrupted, giving Gajeel a reason to silently curse her. If he had her real name, he could organise a small raid party. "What's your name?" She continued, turning towards Gajeel.

"What's yer purpose?" Gajeel frowned, unsure which would be best. Giving 'Kurogane' would mean that they couldn't find him, but they could use it amongst Vampires. 'Gajeel Redfox' would lead them straight to his home, but the other Vampires wouldn't be affected. Screw the other Vampires. "Kurogane." He sighed, acting as if listening to her any longer would bore him to death.

"Well, Kurogane, we're Shadow Gear." Levy smiled, offering her hand. The gesture looked confident, but there was still the echo of fear in her hazel eyes.

"So ya're Shadow Gear 1, 2, and 3?" He mocked, ignoring her hand.

"We don't have individual Hunter names yet..." She pouted, her cheeks puffing out slightly. "I'm Levy, you've already met Jet, and the man behind you is Droy. Actually, 'Jet' is a Hunter name...Anyway, neither Droy or I have a Hunter name yet." She explained, still holding her hand out.

"I ain't shaking hands with a Hunter." Gajeel grunted and her lips pursed again. "What do ya want with me?"

"I'm a Huntress." She returned and he chuckled in bemusement. "You said you wanted revenge on the Vampress that changed you."

"And ya're gonna help me?" He frowned, narrowing his eyes at her.

"We think you're over six-hundred years old, so you'll be pretty strong by now. Vampresses are rare for some reason and the Vampress we think we're looking for was around this area about six-hundred years ago." She explained with a smile, her hand still held out.

"I am strong, but yer gonna have to explain a little more about why ya're after a Vampress." He snorted, shaking his head at the girl in amusement.

"I have my own personal reasons for hunting down Ame Onna." Levy smiled, her eyes holding a sad glint that didn't match the expression across her lips.

"Ame Onna?" He frowned, unsure if they really were looking for the same Vampress.

"A tall, pale-skinned blunette whose hair curls tightly upward at the bottom...She's emotionless and ruthless." Levy answered bitterly, Jet's hand suddenly on her pale, exposed shoulder.

"Empty eyes." Gajeel nodded slowly, watching Jet's hand so close to the girl's sweet neck. Why was the girl wearing a damn halter top?! She should be wearing a damn turtleneck! He tensed as he felt a blade press against the side of his neck.

"Put your fangs away." Levy ordered, her arms folded across her small chest. "You're drooling."

"What do ya expect when a girl like ya walks around dressed like that?" He growled, retracting his fangs.

"With a normal guy, that would suggest other things." She stated with a small cough and Gajeel pierced his tongue between two of his canines as the image of her suggestion flashed through his mind. Her blood would be sweet and thick as he drove himself into her repeatedly, releasing all those delicious hormones within her body. "I'm not food." She continued, a very pointed glare aimed at him.

"So ya're just gonna let a Vampire help ya?" He mused, ignoring the supposedly harsh expression across her soft face.

"We intend to take precautions." Jet smirked from behind Levy. "We've got you a nice little collar."

"Like fuck! I ain't wearing no fuckin' collar!" He snarled, suddenly standing as he bared his two inch fangs.

"We've been looking for you for some time, Gajeel Redfox-"

"How do ya know my name?!" He growled, snatching the handle of Droy's sword out of the Hunter's hand.

"-born 21st of December, 1372. Your parents and fiancée were slaughtered by a Vampire – or more likely, Vampress – on 1st of January, 1395. You and your younger sister – born 12th of April, 1382 – vanished without a trace. The official police report from the time believes you to have murdered your family in a fit of rage and kidnapped your sister, but the members of the Hunters' Association know better." Levy finished, her tone that of a person reading a book out loud. "Ame Onna and Mira-Jane are the only Vampresses to have been spotted in this area during that time."

"How'd ya find me...?" Gajeel hissed, his jaw clenched as he fought back the memory of the emotionless, tall blunette standing covered in his family's blood, the memory that had haunted him for more than six hundred years.

"There aren't many 'Gajeel Redfox's, but it was the photos in the town hall that gave us the final piece of the puzzle." Levy nodded, offering him a sympathetic smile. "We didn't know if you were really back in town, but there was a house in your name and when Droy seen you leave, he called Jet. Jet followed you from the end of the high street, but he lost you the first time. I'd gotten myself a job in the library, but I had been surprised to find a 'Gajeel Redfox' on the register, so that part was complete chance. When you came into the library the second day we tried following you, I couldn't be sure it was you until Jet came in. When you told me your story..."

"I don't need yer pity." He growled, glaring at the tiny blunette.

"No, but we need your strength and you need our knowledge and tracking skills. Not to mention, some weapons to help you kill her." Levy shrugged, her blowpipe suddenly in her hand again.

"I don't need weapons to take that bitch down." He snarled, crumpling the leather-bound handle of the strange two-headed silver blade as if it were a ripe plum.

"Ame Onna has been around longer than you, Mr Redfox." Levy frowned, clearly not impressed by his show of strength. "If fact, we have records of her walking around Bosco almost eight hundred years ago."

"From Bosco, huh? Has she gone back there? 'Cause I can't find a trace of her here." He inquired lightly, wondering if he could get what he needed from them.

"The latest sightings of an emotionless blunette muttering to herself were in Oak Town about four years ago." Levy explained, clearly watching him. What good was information from four years ago?! "I could share the pattern of her movements with you, but you haven't exactly agreed to work with us yet."

"Here's something I doubt ya've thought about – what d'ya expect me to eat? Ya alright with me grabbing the occasional lonely whore while we wander around? I should probably warn ya that I tend to tail them for a while to make sure no-one'll miss them." He challenged, the destroyed sword still in his hand.

"Good to know you're discreet about feeding." Levy nodded thoughtfully, the end of the blowpipe now dangerously close to her lips as she seemingly absently played with it. "Blood bags ok with you?"

"No, they taste like shit and are so full of chemicals to keep them 'fresh', they're practically poison." He grunted, watching the blowpipe now tapping against her bottom lip.

"Animals?" She offered, raising an eyebrow at him.

"So the four of us are going to walk around with a cow on a fuckin' lead?" He jeered, openly mocking her suggestion.

"So it would have to be as big as a cow?" She asked quietly, a frown fixed in place as her brow furrowed.

"One whore gives me a good two to three weeks. By the end of the third, I need to find another. I can survive at least seven weeks, but then I need someone to hunt for me." He explained reluctantly. He still couldn't believe she was genuinely considering this.

"So six pints comfortably feeds you for up to three weeks, but you need a minimum of one pint a week on average to survive...It takes a few weeks to replace the red blood cells in one pint of blood. Unless we have some sort of animal, it would be impossible...Say you took half a pint from two of us a week, you would have to wait at least a week before you could take another half pint from us, so there would have to be four to five humans to drink from." Levy sighed, looking between her two horrified companions who surprisingly stood as tall as he did – no wonder she hadn't been intimidated by his height earlier. "When we eventually found her, we'd have to give you a chance to feed properly..."

"I wouldn't have to spend energy to hunt, so I could probably survive on less..." He muttered, listening to her trying to work out a feeding regime for him. Who was this girl? She couldn't honestly be serious about this plan?!

"We'd still need a fourth." Levy sighed, shaking her head in resignation.

"How long was it until she was due in Magnolia again?" Droy frowned, a knife in his hand now that his sword was gone.

Gajeel watched as Levy stared him down. The much bigger Hunter took a step back as he gave the midget Huntress an apologetic look. Was this girl really all that terrifying? Surely the big guy could take her in a fight?! Levy's gaze returned to him as he began to look her over. She was wearing a denim mini skirt and brown sandals with her orange halter top, making Gajeel's mind wander once more to where she concealed her weapons. Somewhere in that skimpy outfit, there was a silver-bladed knife and a space where her blowpipe would be if it wasn't currently tapping against her pale cheek. He chuckled internally as the idea of her fitting in amongst his kind occurred to him. Her skin was paler than his and there was definitely a fire burning in her eyes, no matter how friendly she was.

"Will you help us?" She requested quietly, her hazel eyes fixed on his.

"Mind if I feed?" He returned, holding her gaze.

"We'll feed you and make you a deadlier weapon." She countered, waving the blowpipe at him nonchalantly.

"Fine."

"You'll have to wear the collar."

"Fuck off."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!**

 **Happy New Year!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Gajeel tugged at the studded leather collar that wrapped too tightly around his thick neck. This was completely humiliating! How dare that midget girl demand that he wear a dog's collar! He was no-one's dog! A small jolt shot through his body and he snarled at the orange haired Hunter with the damn remote, earning himself another shock. What the Hell did he do to deserve the first?!

"Be a good dog or Titania will make us get rid of you." Jet mocked, elbowing Droy with laugh.

"Be nice, Jet, or I'll take the remote." Levy warned, throwing Gajeel a sympathetic smile, much to his irritation – he didn't need some girl to stand up for him! "He's just not used to having anything around his neck."

"If he zaps me again, I'm gonna snap the damn thing and rip his fucking throat out!" Gajeel growled, glaring at the tall Hunters.

"You can't, Kurogane." Levy sighed, reaching up to pull at the collar lightly. He leant forward to make it easier for her and tensed as he realised how close her sweet neck was. He closed his eyes as he clenched his jaw, fighting every instinct in him that told him to lean forward those few inches and sink his long fangs into that smooth neck of hers. Fuck, he needed to pull back. He needed to pull back now. "It's made of two layers of leather with a solid silver band in the middle. You likely hadn't noticed, but it will have sapped some of your strength already. If you tear the leather, you're going to have a serious problem."

"Levy, let go of his collar or I'll end up zapping you too." Jet's voice called quietly as if trying not to startle Gajeel.

"What?" Her musical voice hummed in confusion, only for her tiny hand to suddenly pull away. "Sorry, Gajeel, that was inconsiderate of me."

He nodded, his jaw still clenched. He left his eyes shut for a moment, savouring the scent of her pumping blood pulsing through the arteries in her neck. Fuck, he needed to stop letting her get to him. At this rate, he was gonna bite the girl and end up without a damn head! He was only sticking around to get back at the damn bitch that fucking turned him! Why did the damn Huntress have to smell so fucking good?!

"We're here." Droy's voice announced and Gajeel opened his eyes.

"Where's here?" Gajeel grunted, looking at the abandoned-looking two-story building that Shadow Gear had lead him to.

"Well, we couldn't take you to the Association, for obvious reasons, so we found this place." Levy chimed, the sound of her voice triggering the memory of her pulsing blood from only a moment before. He was so screwed. "This will be our base while we teach each other and train until Ame Onna returns."

"And how long's that?" Gajeel frowned, looking down his nose at her with his muscular arms folded across his broad chest.

"If we told you that, you'd leave, right?" Levy shrugged with a sad smile.

"Didn't say that." He grumbled, looking away from her. The damn girl was already trying to make him feel guilty.

He frowned, already realising the possible outcomes of him leaving with the information he needed. If he left to make his own plan of attack alone, they'd still be after the eight hundred year old Vampress. Alone. They'd be slaughtered in seconds. They took down that nest the evening before by poisoning two males in advance, before using him as a distraction and poisoning the third. The three of them couldn't have been more than a hundred years old, judging by the lack of strength in the third male and the constant need to feed they apparently had. What were the chances that the poison darts would work on a Vampress as strong as Juvia?

Then again, he might beat them to her. He had contacts in the Vampire society, being a Vampire, so he would likely know first about her appearance in Magnolia. The problem was, if he did beat them to her, they could still intervene and get all four of them killed by getting in his way. Then again, what if they were right? If Juvia was two hundred years older than him, did he stand a chance? There was definitely strength in numbers and, even if the three of them were no use to him in the actual fight, they likely had information that he didn't.

Fuck.

"I ain't going anywhere, got it?" He grunted, pushing passed the three of them to open the door. "But I am staying at my place, not this shithole." He grabbed the handle and snatched his hand back. What was with the fucking silver door handle?!

"We had to Vampire-proof the place." Levy explained sheepishly, answering his unspoken question.

"Fine, I'll just kick the fuckin' door in every time." He retorted, already raising his foot.

"No, I'll get it!" Levy rushed, instantly beside him with a key.

She opened the door and gestured to him to go in. He watched her suspiciously before deciding to just go with it. Maybe it would be third time fucking lucky? She'd already trapped him in a concrete room, slowly killing him with silver dust in the damn air, and used him as a fucking decoy for her trap. Shit, he really was her fucking toy, wasn't he?! They better not try to keep him here or he'd just leave them to get fucking slaughtered! He'd get his information somewhere else...somehow.

"Well, this is the kitchen." Levy announced and he looked around the dusty, unused room. It looked like the typical 'homes' of new Vampires terrified of their dinner catching them. "We got this place a couple of weeks ago, but we haven't really done anything other than make it safe."

"And yet I could kick the door in. Very safe." Gajeel snorted, running a finger through the thick layer of dust on the kitchen counter. "I assume ya haven't been cooking in here?"

"No, we've been eating at the Association." Levy answered awkwardly, avoiding his gaze.

"Is there electricity?" He demanded with a sigh, looking between the three of them.

"No?" Levy offered, earning a noise of exasperation.

"Fine, I'll give ya some damn money to go get a takeaway like a good little girl." He snapped, throwing his wallet to her. "Ya two, get dustin'."

"Where did you get all this money?!" Levy gaped as she opened his wallet.

"I work." He snapped, turning back to her to direct his glare through her. "And I have work in the damn mornin', unlike ya three!"

"Where do-"

"Get some damn food and then we'll fucking talk!" He exclaimed, earning a squeak from the midget before she rushed out the door.

* * *

"Thanks for the pig's blood." Gajeel grunted, taking a swig from the plastic bottle Levy had just handed him. "How'd ya get it?"

"I was passing the butcher's on my way back with the pizza and realised they must have plenty of it." She shrugged absently as she munched away at a slice of pizza not much smaller than her head. "How long do you think you could manage on it?"

"Don't actually know...When ya're 'born', ya're almost always hungry, but ya're pretty sloppy with yer huntin' and ya're constantly terrified of being caught." He explained, staring at the red liquid. "After the first two hundred years, ya stop carin' about bein' caught because ya've 'lived so long', so ya pretty much go on a killin' spree. After six hundred years, ya just sort of start buildin' a life and get used to moving around...I don't know what the next stage is, but chances are that's where Juvia is. Not sure I want to become an invincible ramblin' lunatic."

"What?" Jet frowned, stopping eating to look at Gajeel in disbelief. "What do you mean 'invincible'?"

"Well, I have noticed that, over time, a Vampire gets stronger. My strength seems to double over the period of one hundred years. It happens gradually, but in one hundred years time, I'll be twice as strong as I am now, just like I'm twice as strong as I was one hundred years ago." He shrugged, taking another swig of blood.

"So she's four times stronger than you?!" Droy gaped, the topping falling off his pizza and back into the box as the pizza slice remained motionless in his hand.

"She's a Vampress and half the size of me, so probably not." He mused, watching the two clearly terrified Hunters.

"What's being a Vampress got to do with strength?" Levy's voice piped up and Gajeel turned his head to look at her. She sat stiffly in her chair, glaring down at the poor table. "Mira-Jane is supposed to be the strongest Vampire and Titania one of the strongest Hunters. Being a girl doesn't mean you're weak."

"I didn't say that." Gajeel stated, watching her carefully. "What I was sayin' was that she's a Vampress, which is somethin' very rare that no Vampire really knows anything about. They're a wildcard."

"Why are they so rare?" She frowned, finally looking back at him. "Is it became male Vampires are so bloodthirsty and out of control they can't bring themselves to 'waste' a single drop of blood?"

"I ain't like that, so why assume we all are?" He growled, glaring at her. "Hell, Salamander got that girl to the right place without takin' a single damn sip!"

"What girl?!" Levy demanded, her eyes wide with alarm.

"I didn't ask. All I know is she wanted to be a Huntress and he met her in Hargeon." He shrugged, going back to his blood.

"The guy that brought her to us was...He was a VAMPIRE?! He seemed so friendly?!" Levy exclaimed, suddenly standing up from her chair which now lay on the floor.

"He's an irritatin'ly nice guy." Gajeel grunted, reaching across to right her chair before she dropped back to where it had been standing. "He's a pain in the ass, but everyone likes him. He's about twenty years younger than me, but don't try to kill him though – ya three couldn't take me down in a proper fight and our fights usually end in a stalemate...The brat's only kicked my ass once, though, got that?!"

"Yeah, yeah, we won't tell anyone." Jet replied, rolling his eyes. "So the nice guy with pink hair is a Vampire and Vampresses are rare. Now tell us why they're rare, and I do mean 'Vampresses', not 'nice guys'."

"Vampresses are 'mothers'," Gajeel began, watching the blank expressions of his companions, "not sure how it works. There's somethin' different about their blood – tastes better than a virgin's blood the first time she has sex – and when she feeds her blood to a human that's had its blood drank, that human becomes her child. It's how Vampires are born. Vampresses are rare because most Vampresses take gullible men to their bed."

"So you're whipped?" Jet jeered, grinning at him.

"Like fuck! I was a twenty-two year old human who was attacked by a two-hundred year old Vampress! I never stood a fuckin' chance!" He snarled, almost knocking the table over as he stood up to tower over the Hunter. "We'll stick ya alone against her and see how ya do, shall we?!"

"Boys! Gajeel, just sit down! And Jet, stop trying to wind him up!" Levy ordered, now standing with her hands on her hips. "This isn't going to work if the two of you don't at least try to get along!"

"Yes, Levy." Jet nodded dejectedly.

"How are we going to take her down?" Gajeel asked quietly, looking between the three of them, still standing.

"First, we're going to teach you all of the weaknesses Vampires have and then we're going to train you to use weapons and your strength." Levy explained, smiling up at him. What was with all the damn smiling?! "And you're going to teach us everything else you know about Vampires."

"I'm good with my fists; I don't need a damn weapon." Gajeel grumbled, sitting back down.

"You were wearing strange gloves yesterday?" Levy pressed, standing over him.

"Yeah? Do ya really need me to explain them?" He returned, raising a studded eyebrow at her. She continued to stand staring expectantly at him. "Fine. They're fingerless so my claws don't rip through them when I draw them – yes, a Vampire's claws are like a cat's, our canines do the same – and the iron plate with the bolt-heads through it do a fuck-tonne of damage when I punch someone."

"Perfect. I had a new pair made for you!" She chimed, earning a look of confusion from Gajeel. "The plate and the bolt-heads are made of silver, but they're attached using non-silver based metal."

"So they'll do extra damage." He nodded appreciatively.

"We'll see what other weapons suit you over the next few months!"

"Few months!?"

* * *

Gajeel frowned down at his new gloves. They fitted better than his old ones, but he hadn't had a chance to try them out yet. He glanced across at the dart board in the corner of the kitchen, cringing at the memory of the night before. Jet had pulled out cards from a bowl and called out the number that the midget was to hit. Her aim was deadly accurate. He looked back down at his gloves and clenched his fists. He'd been visiting them every day for the last week, not that he had much choice in the matter, and he still felt like he had learned nothing. What was he doing here? If they didn't start giving him prop-

"Kurogane." Droy nodded as he appeared down the stairs. "No work this morning?"

"I work seven days and have three off." Gajeel explained, watching the tall, black haired man pour himself a coffee. "The manager's not a bad guy."

"Unlike you." Jet snorted, suddenly standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"How are you finding the pig's blood?" Droy continued, glancing nervously between the orange haired Hunter and Gajeel.

"I'm feedin' daily but I seem weaker." Gajeel frowned, flexing his right hand. "Not sure if that's the pig's blood or the collar."

"We can't take the collar off, sorry." Levy sighed, wandering sleepily down the stairs. "Titania would demand that we beheaded you."

"Am I ever going to meet this 'Titania', or is she just your imaginary friend?" Gajeel sneered, standing up from his seat at the table.

"You wouldn't live to tell the tale." Jet returned, a smug look across his pathetic face.

Gajeel shook his head in resignation. The idiot just wouldn't learn, would he? He turned to the punchbag hanging from the reinforced beam that ran the width of the kitchen. He tapped it with his clenched fist, taking aim. He felt three sets of eyes on him and he smirked, already knowing the outcome of his next move. He swung his fist back, then brought it forward with all his strength. He watched as the punchbag snapped off of the beam and flew through the kitchen wall into the living room, leaving a hole large enough for Gajeel to step through. He turned to grin at the three idiots, only to freeze as the midget caught him with a look of cute fury.

"What did you do that for?!" She yelled, slamming her laptop on the table before marching up to him. "That punchbag was not for you to put through the wall! We've got to fix that now! Go play with your own things!"

"My own things?" He frowned, trying not drool as he realised that she was once again wearing a very skin-revealing top. What was with her clothes?!

"The things in the kitchen are for us to train with." Levy retorted, her hands on her hips in adorable irritation. "The things in the living room are for you to play with."

"Like what?" He snorted, wondering what sort of 'toys' she'd thought he'd like.

"Like a weighted punchbag and some silver weights. Not to mention the silver-dust air conditioning." She pouted, clearly not amused.

"Ya tryin' to kill me?" He returned, irritated at her over-use of silver. Why the Hell did she want him training in a room with silver-dust air conditioning?! What was wrong with her?!

"Forcing yourself to train in a situation where you're becoming increasingly weaker – therefore putting greater strain on your body – allows you to become stronger faster!" She returned, her cheeks still puffed out.

"...Fine." He grunted, looking away from her. He refused to admit she had damn point.

"It won't work until the wall's fixed now though." She sighed, gesturing to the gaping hole in the wall. "Why did you have to do that?"

"Speedy over there was pissin' me off so I decided to show him _exactly_ what he was pissin' off." Gajeel growled, openly glaring at the skinny, orange haired Hunter. "The collar may have drained some of my strength, but I could still turn him into a bloody pile of human soup in half a fuckin' second."

"Gajeel, go home." Levy ordered, folding her petite arms in front of her almost flat chest. "Get yourself calmed down and come back tomorrow – we'll have the hole fixed by then and you can start your physical training. Maybe that'll use up some of your boundless energy." She finished with a sigh.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!**

 **Hey! Second update this week! Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Gajeel grunted as he attempted to thrust the steel barbell holding the ten thirty-five kilogram silver bumper plates. He clenched his jaw tight as he carefully lowered the long pole back into its holders. He was sure he was normally several times stronger than this? When was the last time he'd felt so _weak_? This was only about twice what the two Hunters in the other room could bench if they really tried. What the hell was going on? This couldn't seriously be the affect of wearing the collar for two months, right?

He snarled as he propelled the barbell towards the ceiling once more, irritation and self-disgust pulsing through him. He panted as his crimson eyes watched the swaying barbell hovering above him in his clenched fists. He unlocked his elbows and flinched as he watched the barbell suddenly rush towards him. He sighed, scrunching his eyes closed in frustration as the rests caught the pole with a clang. He was going to have to stop. Maybe he just needed some rest? When he wasn't working, he was here. When he was here, he was training. Maybe his body just needed a rest?

He let go of the barbell and cried out as the steel pole slipped off its stand, crashing onto his chest. He desperately grasped hold of it before it could roll towards his neck, fighting to regain some of the air it had forced out of his dead lungs. He heard the crunching of his ribs and silently cursed, trying to lift the barbell from the awkward angle he'd been trapped in. He had to get this damn thing off! He snarled with frustration as he failed to sit up.

"Gajeel!" A female voice gasped in horror, startling him for a moment before he remembered the blue haired midget that had been in the next room. "Jet! Droy!"

He heard footsteps as his vision began to fade. What the fuck was wrong with him? He'd felt more pain during his fights with Salamander and it wasn't as if Vampires breathed. Fresh air leaked into his lungs as the barbell became steadily lighter. He closed his eyes, enjoying the poison-less air as it refilled his previously deflated lungs. He opened them again to find three concerned faces hovering over him. He groaned as her delicious scent filled his nose, his senses beginning to return to him.

"Get the fuck back." He forced, desperate to be rid of the tempting call of the midget's pulsing blood. He grunted with the force of sitting up as the three humans all simultaneously pulled back, his right hand clutching at his chest where he could feel five broken ribs. Shit, they'd take at least a week to fucking heal! "Thanks...Don't know what happened..." He grumbled breathlessly.

"Ar- Are you ok?" Levy inquired nervously, leaning closer again.

"Get. The fuck. Back." He growled between breaths. Why the fuck did she have to keep getting in his damn face?! Did she seriously have no idea how fucking hard it was to not bite her? "I'm fine. Just a few broken ribs, that's all."

"Have you gotten your breath back?" Jet frowned, seemingly genuinely concerned.

"Huh? Yeah...I guess?" He nodded, seemingly finally back to 'not breathing'. "What the fuck was that about? I haven't had to breathe in years?"

"Em, that's an illusion?" Levy offered almost bashfully as she sat on the edge of the bench. "Vampires don't breathe like humans, but they still need oxygen. You probably haven't noticed, but you actually breathe like a human when you're exerting yourself. When you speak, too, you're expelling air. But your muscles do still need oxygen to function; it's just that your heart doesn't pump your oxygen-filled blood through your body."

"I know I'm gonna regret this, but how does it get to a Vampire's muscles then?" He frowned, pointedly rolling his eyes at her.

"You didn't need to roll your eyes." She pouted, her cheeks puffing out in irritation. "A human's blood is red because it's oxygen rich. A Vampire's is a sort of plum red, right?" She began and he nodded his agreement as she watched him carefully. He wasn't stupid – every Vampire knew that. "However, if a Vampire bleeds during or just after a heated battle, they bleed red like a human." She smiled, suddenly holding the blade of her knife to the back of his forearm. "If I cut you now, you'll bleed red like us. Want me to prove it?"

"Ya seriously think I'm gonna bleed red?" He snorted, shaking his head at her. She'd completely lost it! "Fine! Prove it!" He smirked, lifting his arm so that it was closer to her. She watched him warily for a moment before making a tiny cut between two of his studs. He snatched his arm away as a single bead of red blood swelled out. "What the fuck?!" He snarled, glaring at her. "What the fuck did ya just do?!"

"I told you, red blood is oxygen-rich blood. Your muscles need oxygen when you exert yourself. The oxygen diffuses into your blood from your lungs, just like a human." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she smiled at him. "Your oxygen-rich blood cells somehow get drawn towards your muscles, where the oxygen is needed."

"So my heart doesn't beat, but my blood still moves around my body because my muscles tell it to." He nodded uncomfortably. He couldn't even argue. It smelt like his blood, even if it was a vibrant red. "Well, that's not creepy." He grunted, watching the blood darkening as it dried.

"You're a Vampire." Jet retorted, towering over Gajeel with his arms folded across his narrow chest.

"Fuck off." Gajeel stated emotionlessly, before returning his attention to the petite blunette. "Gonna tell me why the fuck I ended up being crushed under something I could normally lift with my pinkie in my sleep?"

"I have to admit, that is a little concerning..." Levy frowned, causing something within his gut to twist. Maybe he'd gotten a little too used to her knowing 'everything'? "I'd have thought it was a combination of the collar, the silver dust, and the fact that the weights are made of silver, but that wouldn't- It shouldn't- There has to be something else? Have you been sleeping properly?"

"You're asking a dead guy if he's sleeping properly?" Gajeel returned, raising an eyebrow sceptically. He grinned as her eyes went wide, before suddenly glaring at him. "Okay, okay! Yeah, I'm sleeping properly. I'm not tired, I'm just _we-_ I'm just not as strong." He sighed, shaking his head. "Something's not right."

"What's different? The training should be making you stronger, not weaker." Levy pressed, leaning closer again as she seemed to begin studying him.

"Different? I'm wearing a fuckin' collar, train in a room filled with bloody poison, and live off shitty pigs' blood! There's not much else ya could do to make shit different!" He snarled, pulling away from her. Why the fuck did she have to keep leaning closer?!

"You're more determined to keep your distance." Levy stated, leaning in even closer. He pulled further back, finding himself suddenly lying along the bench again. He tensed, cursing himself as he realised he couldn't get away from her if she leaned closer once more. "You've been staying further and further away from me this past month. I'd assumed you just didn't like me and wanted to stay as far away from me as was reasonably possible, but I think you're doing it subconsciously."

"Trust me, there's nothing fuckin' subconscious about staying away from ya." He snapped, attempting to shift further up the bench, only for her to lay a tiny, pale hand on his exposed abdomen. He hissed, his eyes closing tightly, as he felt her pulse against his skin.

"Not now, when I'm forcing my presence on you, but you've definitely been avoiding me." She nodded, leaning in closer. "Does my blood smell particularly tempting?"

"If I answer that, Speedy's gonna fuckin' zap me." Gajeel seethed, glaring up at the orange haired Hunter as he tried to fight every instinct in his body that told him to sink his fangs unceremoniously into the petite neck of the pale skinned Huntress.

"As I thought, the pigs' blood isn't good enough... You need to hunt." She whispered, biting her lip as a nervous look appeared in her large, hazel eyes.

* * *

Gajeel watched the brunette stagger drunkenly along the empty street. He shook his head as she stumbled forward, landing on her knees in a filthy puddle. She raised a grimy, tanned hand to pull her unkempt hair back behind her pierced ear. He heard a sob leave her and sighed. Why was his dinner so damn pathetic? He hadn't trained in a week, just so that he could tail this pathetic excuse for a human during his 'free time'. He pulled back, cursing under his breath. He glanced back around the corner, the brunette still sobbing and isolated in her little, putrid puddle.

"Hey? Ya ok?" He offered, cautiously approaching the young woman.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." She returned, angrily wiping away her tears. "What do you want?"

"Ya got somewhere to go?" He pressed carefully, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I just- I've had a shitty day and now I've just tripped and ended up in a fuckin' puddle." She snorted, wiping away a fresh, bitter tear.

"Everyone has a shitty day every now and then." He mused, offering her his hand to help her up. "Take me for example – I got fired today and I have to pay child support 'cause my fiancée left me for the guy I asked to be my Best Man." He sighed, giving her an empathetic smile as she finally took his hand, allowing him to haul her friendlily to her feet.

"Now that is shit." She replied with a soft smile, shaking her head. "When was the wedding supposed to be?" She continued jokingly as she bent to pick up her bag.

"Not next weekend, but the next again." He stated with a shrug. She turned to look at him with wide blue eyes in obvious horror. "It's fine – she left me four months ago."

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, her gaze dropping to the damp pavement.

"Don't be." He mused, taking her bag from her and hoisting it over his shoulder. "Now, let me walk ya home."

"I couldn-"

"I insist." He smiled, earning a soft, grateful smile in return.

He walked her the last four streets to her home, his hunger growing as he felt her pulsing blood from where she walked so improperly close. She kept smiling brightly up at him as she chatted away happily. He gave her smiles and companionable answers in return, knowing her loneliness was fading. She began rummaging around in her bag for her key as they reached the door to her home – a two-room bedsit.

"Well, this is me... It's not much, but it's home." She explained awkwardly, a shy blush starting to appear across her cheeks. "This might be a little forward, but...would you like to come in for coffee? You probably just want to get home, but you've real-"

"Sure." He nodded, offering her an understanding smile. "Hell, I've only known ya fifteen minutes and ya've already made a shitty day feel like a good one."

"Re- Really? I actually feel the same." She smiled happily, taking his hand to lead him inside. "We should probably get you warmed up – have you been wandering around since that rain at lunch? You feel pretty cold!"

"I wouldn't mind being warmed up." He chuckled, letting her take him into her home.

"Well, I guess I'd better make you a coffee now then." She replied, clicking the kettle on. She never let that kettle empty of water. It was always ready to provide her with hot water for her bitter beverage. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go for a shower though. I don't even want to know what was all dissolved in that rainwater. I hate city air and the ground is always so filthy!" He grinned at her friendlily. Yup, a typical, intelligent, country girl lost in the city where she had thought she'd find her dreams.

Gajeel watched her make him a coffee before she spun around with a coy smile, only to slip into the only other room this pathetic little 'home' had. He heard the water begin to rush out of the aged, white, plastic showerhead. He waited a moment before dropping his jacket onto her sofa bed and opening the bathroom door. Gajeel slowly pulled back the shower curtain to reveal the clean, naked body of the undernourished brunette. She smiled at him suggestively as she raised a single eyebrow, supposedly suggesting that his actions were just plain typical of a man.

He raised his t-shirt over his head and watched with a smirk as she bit her lip, running her eyes over his muscular form. He unbuckled his belt and let his trousers drop to the cheap, vinyl flooring. He heard her gasp and grinned sadistically at her. He roughly raised her chin to make her look back up at him, rather than at his physical attributes. Gajeel shoved her up against the wall, bitterness coursing through him as the past began to force itself upon him. He kissed her, pressing his body against hers. He felt her pulse quicken in expectation as she began to passionately kiss him back. His hulk of a body that had been terrifying six hundred years ago now worked as a perfect alluring weapon. Women yearned for big, strong, muscular men now. He growled as he bit the tip of his tongue, before slipping it into the brunette's mouth.

He heard her groan wantonly and seconds later her mind became filled solely with lust. He kissed down her neck, finally releasing his fangs. He sunk them into her sun-kissed neck, felt the desperate need in her blood as it began to pulse out of her. Gajeel drank freely as he tried to ignore the uneasiness that had begun to creep over him. Her skin paled before his eyes as her straight, brunette hair began to shorten and wave. He watched in horror as it became a brilliant cobalt. He snatched his fangs from her neck, his hands reaching for his eyes as his claws threatened to start ripping them out.

"I can't... This- It's not-" He snarled, stumbling back against the opposite wall.

He felt a trickle of blood down his chin and snatched at it furiously. What the fuck was wrong with him?! So what if the midget had offered to sacrifice a little blood for him?! He'd turned her down, just like he would anyone that offered to become a food source – what sick fucker would want to become food?! He growled meaninglessly at the brunette lying unconscious and naked in her shower. What would the midget think if she saw this? It wasn't as if he ever actually fucked his food, but it didn't exactly look like it. It didn't matter what she thought! He was a fucking Vampire! He drank blood! He had to in order to survive! He had no choice... Why had that bitch decided to turn him into a monster...?


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

 **Hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

"She's still alive."

"Huh?" Gajeel grunted, turning his head to look at the blunette out the corner of his eye. She was busy playing darts with her blowpipe again.

"Judith Sommer." Levy stated, causing him to frown. "The girl you decided to have for dinner two days ago."

"Ya...went looking for her?" He questioned, turning completely in his seat to look fully at her. "Seriously?"

"What will you do if she recognises you?" She frowned, finally looking back at him.

"I'm surprised ya're not happy that I left her alive." He snorted, shaking his head. "I healed the bite and put her in her bed. As far as she's concerned, I fucked her and left." He shrugged, ignoring the searching look the little blunette was giving him.

"Did you?" She returned, her head tilting slightly to one side.

Gajeel tilted his own head slightly as he stared at her. He frowned as she began to blush. He continued to run his eyes over her, trying to work out what was different. She was wearing a yellow bikini top under a navy waistcoat and a pair of cream Capri trousers. His frown deepened as she began fidgeting under his gaze. His head tilted to the other side, his gaze not leaving her.

"Stop staring so openly at Levy." Jet snapped as he dropped into the seat next to him.

"Huh?" He grunted, turning to look at the skinny, orange haired Hunter. "Ya say somethin', Speedy?"

"Stop staring so openly at Levy." He sighed, repeating himself as he opened up the newspaper that Gajeel had brought them. "What were the two of you talking about anyway?"

"Shit, sorry, Midget, I was just trying to work out what was different with ya." He answered, turning back to his bottle of pig's blood.

"Nothing's different with her. It's you who's different." Jet snorted, his attention not leaving the newspaper.

"What ya talkin' about?" He frowned, pulling down the top of the raised newspaper to look at Jet.

"You're less irritable for one thing. For example, a week ago you would have just ripped the newspaper out of my hands for not 'showing you enough respect' while you were talking to me." He sighed, laying the paper flat on the table in front of him. "You got laid and had a proper feed, asshole."

"I _what_?!" Gajeel snapped, baring his fangs at the idiot sitting next to him.

"You fucked that Judith girl and drank her blood." Jet reiterated, rolling his eyes at him.

"Why the hell do ya think I fucked her?!" Gajeel exclaimed, shoving the table over.

"I guess you _are_ still irritable then." Jet corrected, his jaw clenched as he glared down at the scattered newspaper. "Well, Lev, now you know we're still stuck with a sexually frustrated Vampire."

"I'm not sexually frustrated!" He yelled back, standing up to tower over the bastard trying to spread shit about him.

"Really? When did you last have sex?" Jet returned and Gajeel snapped his face away from the orange haired Hunter.

"Fuck off." Gajeel muttered, turning to head to the living room.

He froze as his eyes met with a crimson midget. What the hell was she embarrassed about?! It was _his_ _lack_ of sex life they'd been discussing, not _her_ sex life! Hell, he didn't want to know what the three of them got up to when he went home every night. Alone. Not that he knew what it felt like to have someone, not anymore. He quivered at the idea of having someone so close to him. He could never have that, not now. She'd taken that chance away from him the night that she'd murdered his fiancée over six hundred years ago. He'd never know how that felt now.

He felt the blunette's pulse quicken as he finally took another step forward, trying to move past her. Now what was wrong?! He paused, waiting for her to say something. Why didn't she just say whatever the fuck was on her mind?! He glanced back at the Hunter who'd started to right the kitchen table, only to stop to frown at the midget.

"Ha- Have you never had- had..." She trailed off, her face becoming impossibly brighter. He turned his face away from her, glad that he didn't blush like she currently was. His eyes went wide as she finally finished her question in an inaudible voice. Now he really wished he wasn't a Vampire. He did not need _anyone_ asking _that_ question!

"Does that bother you?" He grunted, keeping his voice perfectly level.

Her eyes shot wide as she suddenly looked back up at him in surprise. She silently shook her head, a bashful look in those cute eyes. He walked away from her, heading into the living room. He hadn't been allowed in here since he'd broken his ribs. He frowned as he realised the air conditioning had yet to be turned back on. He moved to call back into the kitchen, only to stumble over the midget. She fell back onto her ass, her cheeks puffing cutely as she glared up at him as he stood over her.

"The, eh, air conditioning isn't on?" He coughed, looking away from her awkwardly.

"I know. I turned it off when I found you nine days ago so I- we could save your life." She returned, still glaring up at him. "I wanted to check you were back to normal before I turned it back on."

"I'm fine." He grunted, offering her his hand to help her up.

"Why didn't you drain her? You needed to, didn't you?" She interrogated as she pointedly got back up without his help.

"I'll get some more somewhere else." He shrugged, turning his back on her. What had happened to her this past week? Normally she'd have smiled at least once by now.

"Can you afford to do that?" She continued. He clenched his fists. Why couldn't she just drop it already?! "Well?"

"Why do ya care?!" He snapped, suddenly rounding on her.

"We're risking our lives too, you know." She answered quietly, her hand moving to rub her other arm awkwardly. "We're betting on you with our lives, so we need you to be strong... I- We need you at full strength."

"Why are ya after her...?" He frowned, his voice surprisingly soft as he stood inches from her. "Have ya any idea how strong she could be...?"

"If I take what you've told us and compare it with what we already know...Even though she's two-hundred years older than you, she's less than twice as strong as you." She explained, her voice serious as she looked back up at him. "I ready know the affects of teamwork. Individually, the members of Shadow Gear...Alone, we would struggle to take down a single 'new' Vampire, but together? Together we can easily bring down two and, with tactics, we can bring down three."

"Ya think that if the four of us learn to work together, we could take down a Vampress that's twice as strong as me?" He snorted, shaking his head at her. She was completely insane!

"Not 'work together', 'become a team'." She corrected, her jaw clenching as she recognised the condescension. "We'll make you stronger and the four of us will become a team. I have a few friends at the Association who'll help us, but we need to learn to work as a team first. They're not willing to let us throw our lives away. If the four of us can't learn to work as a team...They will stop us from confronting her.

"Ya want me to become yer obedient pet, just like those two fools in the next room?" He hissed quietly, leaning in closer to make sure that only she could hear him. "What have ya promised them to make them play so happily by yer side?"

"They are like me. We are a team. We need each other." She returned, her fists balling by her sides.

"No, ya need them. Ya rely so heavily on _traps_ that ya're obviously aware of yer shortcomings." He smirked, his voice almost a whisper. "Ya use those two _pups_ to 'plug the gaps'. They have speed and strength, while ya have yer knowledge." He continued, running a single, cobalt tendril over his finger. "Ya want more speed, more strength. Ya know they're not enough for what ya _want_ to do. Ya've even accepted that yer vast knowledge is not enough, giha – that must be painful to admit!"

Gajeel's body convulsed uncontrollably as his vision turned black.

* * *

Gajeel groaned, painfully aware of the bruise-like ache in every muscle within his body. He reluctantly cracked an eye open, wondering how long he'd been out. He frowned as he opened a second eye, studying the room around him. This was not the living room. He was lying in a strange double bed in a light-less room. He squinted, trying to make out any details. The walls near the ceiling looked a purplish colour. Gajeel attempted to raise his head, only to cry out in pain. What the fuck was that?!

"Ga- Gajeel?" A fearful female voice called quietly. He was clearly incapacitated, so what the fuck did the midget have to be scared of?!

"Who the fuck else is it gonna be?!" He snapped, only to regret his choice of tone as pain shot through his body.

"Sorry...Jet though you were going to kill me and, well, he kind of burnt the collar out..." She explained sheepishly as he felt someone shift on the bed.

"So after the electrocution, I had a silver band pressing against my neck. Great. How am I still alive?!" He returned, wishing he could move his body. He felt soft fingertips brush against his neck – or what remained of it.

"I- I don't know..." She replied, her fingers stopping in their strangely soothing movements. "We thought you were, but we- I didn't want to believe it."

"Ya've finally stopped hiding behind yer team, huh?" He grinned, or attempted to. He tried to turn his head to look in her vague direction, but his neck just wouldn't let him. "How long have I been like this?"

"About two weeks?" She offered as she leaned forward so that her face was over his. "I've been feeding you and changing your dressing... I didn't put one on yesterday since it seemed to have become a scar, rather than a wound... I found out something interesting while you were unconscious?"

"Shit, what did ya do?" He groaned, suddenly wishing he could move away from her. What the fuck had she been doing to him while he'd been out?! What if she'd started chopping fucking limbs off to see if they'd reattach themselves?!

"I didn't do anything, but apparently Vampires never need to use the loo." She coughed, pulling back slightly and Gajeel was sure that she was blushing.

"What the fuck did ya do?" He demanded, his jaw clenched. Had she seriously stripped him and watched him lying there naked just to find out if he ever needed to take a pis-

"I didn't do anything." She pouted cutely, leaning closer to him again so that he could see her. "None of us had to _because_ you never- You didn't need to go to the bathroom once."

"Good." He grunted, looking away from her.

"Were you- Were you worried that I'd looked?" She squeaked, her face turning a beautiful crimson in an instant.

"Fuck off." He mumbled, desperately trying to force his body to function so that he could get away from her.

"That's what you said to Jet when he asked when you'd last had sex!" She giggled cutely and he found himself fighting the urge to glare at her. "It hadn't crossed my mind until that moment that you'd still be a virgin after being around for over six hundred years." She blushed shyly as she hovered over him. "Weren't you engaged six hundred years ago?"

"I was and, yes, she did live with us. She didn't have a home outside the workhouse." He sighed, trying to show some sign of mild irritation at her ignoring his usual need for personal space.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Levy replied, an awkward look in her hazel eyes.

"Don't be. It was better than if she'd had somewhere else to go – we got to live together before we were married, even if it meant she shared a room with my baby sister." He explained, attempting to shrug. "Ya didn't have sex before marriage back then."

"Is that- Is that why you're still, you know, a virgin?" She babbled, looking everywhere but at him as she leaned inches from his face.

"Sorry for being 'old fashioned'." He grumbled sarcastically, eliciting another cute giggle from her lips. "Are ya sure ya should be that close to me? Judging by yer fingers, I ain't wearing a collar anymore."

"You still can't move your body, right?" She frowned, sliding her fingertips down his neck to his collarbones, before moving them to his right shoulder. She stopped there, clearly pointing out that she was reaching across his body and he still hadn't attempted to harm her. It wasn't that he didn't want to make her feel desire and taste the fruits of his labour, it was that he just couldn't. "Well?"

"Stop fuckin' tormentin' me already! Ya make me sick!" He snarled. He winced as pain flashed through his body. He felt her warmth pull back, but her cute, round face still hovered over him where he could see her.

"Really?" She whispered, a doleful expression in her beautiful eyes. Now what was wrong?!

"What?" He grunted, suddenly feeling the urge to reach out to her.

"I am really that sickening to you?" She reiterated, biting her lip as she avoided his crimson gaze.

"I'm old fashioned...I've already told ya that." He explained, letting his eyes soften. "The way ya dress – exposing so much skin – and the fact that ya live alone with two guys – unmarried – and share this room with the two of them so openly? Ya seem great, ya really do. I don't know what Juvia did to ya, but ya seem like ya're actually a really kind and friendly human...I just can't agree with how ya dress and how ya are with Jet and Droy...How ya're being with me right now. What I see has me trying to fit ya in with those sickening whores that I feed on, but from knowing ya? I cannot understand how ya can be such a whore-like person, but be so kind and caring? I can't make sense of it. It's probably because I should have died over five hundred years ago."

"You think I'm a whore." Levy nodded slowly, her expression serious as her hands moved to his left bicep.

"I don't want to believe it, but – to me, at least – ya act like it." He sighed, letting himself relax into her touch. "I don't know what ya're doing, but it feels good." He murmured, closing his eyes as her hands continued to work on his arm.

"I haven't voluntarily shared a bed with a man." She replied after a moment's silence. He frowned up at her, his eyes still closed. "I mean it. I don't share the bed with Jet or Droy... They sleep on the floor. I offered to sleep on the floor since the two of them could share the bed, but they refused..."

"And so they should." He agreed. His frown deepened as he felt her put her hands on his shoulders before passing her leg over him. Her other leg soon followed so that she was now on the other side of him. "Did ya just climb over me?"

"Jet and Droy are on the floor and I can't see at night, unlike you." She pouted as her hands began on his left arm.

"That's why ya are moving yer face so close to mine? And keep touching me? Ya can't see?" He rambled, an internal grin trying to form on his lips.

"You make it sound dirty..." She continued to pout, her face still inches from his own.

"Don't be like that." He murmured, bringing his right hand up to push one of her tendrils back behind her ear. He stared wide-eyed at his right hand as it carefully held her soft hair. "I can-"

"I'm massaging your muscles to stimulate them so that they'll work..." She replied bashfully, pointedly looking away from his hand. He snatched it away, laying it back by his side. What the hell had he been thinking?! "I figured I'd be better waiting until you were awake to start stimulating your muscles..."


End file.
